Hector“Your highness!” The council monotoned, the scrape of chairs on wood filling the room as they stood to bow and welcome me.I nodded briefly to the changelings and they sat, the green-eyed imp beside my high seat shooting out a leg to trip me and yelping when I stepped on it.Kalden grinned freakishly when I sat down with a high, and I couldn't help the bright smile that crossed my face on seeing the tree trunk of a man.“All that fresh puss has you looking good your highness.” Kalden mocked under his breath so that only I could hear as the councilmen murmured around us.The razor lines of my best friend's eyes curved with evil delight when I scrunched up my nose in disgust and he covered the snicker he'd been holding in with the back of one clawed hand.“Shut up Kalden, I can tell you've been saving that one for ages.” I grumbled, laughing lightly as the palace maiden poured us red wine, blushing a bright pink, save for the porcelain button of her nose.The man shook his thick
Nola“We're friends snow white. Aren't we now Johhny?” The taller one mused and I knew immediately that they were everything but friends.“Why yes! We only want to play. Will you play with us, Snow White?” The orange-haired man cackled and a bolt of fear zapped my heart off rhythm.Rogue wolves. I knew what they were now. I’d known of them the way pups knew of the boogeymen in their night terrors.“Get away from me.” I stammered, taking a step back as they hulked closer to me and swearing loudly when my feet squelched audibly into the mud bog and I pulled it out without so much as a glance back.“Oh, this one has a dirty mouth! Not all white are ya now?” The tall bushy looking man snorted, his bug eyes fixing in the crevice between my legs as he licked the thin line of his blackened lips, to my horror. The ugly shine of a dirty silver tooth glinting in the dark hole he used as a mouth.“We've seen you ya know. Up in yer little tower.” Orange-head johnny sneered, slapping me on the arm
Nola Reynolds.I cranked my eyes open when the bog remained silent and the weighty bulk of the paw on my neck went limp.A hot jet of blood sprayed in my eye and wordlessly open mouth as the massive triangle of the orange head slid smoothly off the werewolf’s neck, bouncing hard on my midriff before tumbling to a dusty heap by the side.“Oh my god! Hector!” I managed to choke out, my eyes widening to bright green bulbs in their sockets as I whimpered even more when the Lycans stone cold face reared above me where the orange-head’s body had once been.“W-what are you doing here? You left! We, we watched you leave for the mountain city!” Eddie screeched, his big wolf head shaking from side to side before he dragged me to him, quick as lightning, the long, single claw of his paw pressing into my neck painfully.“Edmond. Release the girl.” Hector growled quietly as I tried not to breathe, eyeing the blood streaked hook of the claw as he towered over our frames, so close I could graze the
Nola Reynolds“What am I to do with you, Nola?” The Werewolf Lycan whispered, his almond-shaped eyes were sad and downturned when I managed to uncross my eyes and focus them on his.My head burned where his hand cradled it and I felt the muscles of my eyes sag as the dark called me again, this time I let it take me, hearing my mother’s singing from somewhere in the distance.#Ugh! Where was I? Tiny sparks went through my shuttered eyelids as I tried to keep them shut before a needly voice suddenly interrupted.“Nola? Nola. I know you're awake.”I bit down on the jolt of surprise that sizzled through me. It was a stranger’s voice, one I only vaguely recognized. There was a face squeezed in above me when I fluttered a tea bag of eyelid open, seeing the malevolent glint of pearly white teeth inches from said eyes before I focused on the handsome face of a green-eyed man.There were crow-feet smile lines around the almond-shaped eyes that had fixated unnervingly on me before someone off t
Nola ReynoldsI looked the tall grinning woman over with one swollen eye as she bustled about the cave room, arranging shit that was much better left on its own.“What was it you said you saw now?” Ma Jules drawled, arching the jagged tufts of one severe black eyebrow at me.“A room in the walls, and-and a creature that copied Dennis’ face, a mimic, or it could have been Dennis the whole time!” I whispered fiercely, encouraged when the coffee-colored woman turned to me sharply, the red threads appearing in the whites of her eyes.“Does this have anything to do with the attention she's been getting from the Lycan?” Ma Jules muttered, cutting baleful midnight-black eyes at me.“What?” I barked out a strangled laugh. Either little miss was on street codeine or her witch prescriptions were off. She tilted her head to the side at my rebuff, giving me a knowing look when she didn't know shit.“What do you mean? You think I'm making this shit up because I'm jealous of some girl with Stockhol
Hector BayesI took a moment to breathe deeply as the servants murmured among themselves, my gaze choosing to settle on the cobalt orange of Edna’s hair before dropping to her surprisingly steady gaze.“You,” I grunted, nodding at the smirking woman when she pointed a shaky index to her purple and white-chromed frock.“Rundown,” I deadpanned, crossing unsteady fingers over the width of my chest.“Heard the lot of them running up Your Highness, sounded like a whole camp, quiet too, organized if you ask me, sir, these ain't no spring chickens,” Edna reported, fisting the linen of her frock between her fingers as she finished off her rap and a deep shudder went through the crowd.Rogues? What a fucking joke. Who were they after? It certainly couldn’t be me, not unless they were new.I heard the girl inhale a sharp frenzied breath behind me, and i turned to look as she slowly made her way over to stand before me.“The girls, they’re after the girls,” Nola croaked, gripping her head like s
NOLA“What the hell are you talking about?” I managed, sounding every bit the culprit the girls had been making me out to be.”Don’t act daft Nola, it’s frankly embarrassing.” Layla hissed and I must’ve made an alarming noise in my throat because she rolled her eyes haughtily, picking at her nails with one hand and giving the smirking Dennis a look that seemed to say can you believe this bitch?The Lycan was almost to us now, but I knew there had to have been some sort of misunderstanding, something I wasn't aware of.I sure as hell hoped Layla tamed that little-ass attitude real quick and gave her a look that said that too. I knew SHE wasn't talking about embarrassment.“Only thing embarrassing here Layla, is that hairline of yours! Why I could run the pacific right through it you stupid bitch!” I snapped, my eyes widening when the whites of Layla’s fist came at me just before a large hand trapped it between thick fingers and the group fell into silence.”Y-your h-h-highness!” Sarah
HECTOR BAYESThe girl was staring at me like I was crazy, and I reached up to palm the back of my hairy head, knowing I’d very possibly lost a few screws.“Mr. Bayes,” The hag panted, looking like she was about to say something and trailing off when she saw the green-eyed girl who I felt come up behind me that was no doubt peeking over my shoulder to flip the witch off.A bold move considering how many fingers display the coffee-colored hag owned.“Jules, get the girls ready, undock the carriages, we're leaving immediately! The faster we get out the better!” I growled and the woman nodded, bowing and disappearing from the balcony without another glance back.“Hector,” Nola breathed and I turned to look down at the girl wringing her hands and glancing about the forest clearing below us warily. I could tell she was afraid, and it made something inside me thaw, something that used to be frozen solid.“It's going to be okay Reynolds, you're in good hands,” I whispered, poking her with a l